Figure 3.

Rituximab therapy prevents podocyte injuries caused by the naive baboon sera. Immunofluorescence microscopy of antinephrin (red) and antivimentin (green) staining in (A) untreated podocyte cells, (B) cells incubated with 4% baboon serum, and (C) cells pretreated with rituximab and then incubated with 4% baboon serum. (D) Viability of the podocytes was assessed by a cell proliferation assay. Before the proliferation assay, cells were incubated with baboon serum containing low (white bars) or high (gray bars) levels of natural antibodies with (+) or without (−) rituximab pretreatment. The untreated cells were included, along with Nonidet P-40 (NP40)–treated cells.